Our blog website is being blocked in China! But, we still have our emails, we think at least for now. So, we are going to forward the picture and these comments back and, with Cyrene’s help, get them on the blog. This may mean a delay in getting our pictures and comments on the blog. Please note that, as we have no access at all to our travel blog, we also cannot see nor reply to the comments...sorry :S.
Temple of Heaven
We decided to start off our China trip with a visit to an architectural marvel erected in the 1400’s and used by emperors & high officials throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties to beseech the heavens for bumper harvests.
Temple of Heaven
We decided to start off our China trip with a visit to an architectural marvel erected in the 1400’s and used by emperors & high officials throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties to beseech the heavens for bumper harvests.
The temple is massive and the surrounding grounds stretch as far as the eyes can see. As we were touring on our own on this day, we could marvel more on the marble sculptured slabs and intricately carved pillars, not to mention the artistically rendered tongue and grooves. Another interesting area of the Temple of Heaven complex was the Heavenly Heart Centre Stone – if one speaks standing on the stone, their voice will be particularly resonant and sonorous. Since Ellen was remiss from visiting this circular mound on her first visit 4 years ago, she had to step up to it this time ... it was an interesting experiment. Perhaps the voice will stick long enough to resonant over the din of a crowded Chinese restaurant ...lol.
It was a beautiful and perfectly temperate fall day so we quite enjoyed climbing to the third tower of this stretch of the famous wall, despite the crowds. However, judgingfrom the relative emptiness of the parking lot and per our cab driver, the crowds today was nothing compared to weekends or special holidays.
Badaling Gate of the Great Wall
We headed off around noon with our taxi driver to the most popular and populous gate of the long and winding Great Wall – Badaling. Since the Temple of Heaven was about 90 km away from Badaling, we had a chance to witness the chaos of Beijing traffic... it seems certain to rival notorious Toronto. No question about it, the city that once boasted the most bicycles on its boulevards have now replaced those manual peddles for car engines, particularly Audis, it appears.
We headed off around noon with our taxi driver to the most popular and populous gate of the long and winding Great Wall – Badaling. Since the Temple of Heaven was about 90 km away from Badaling, we had a chance to witness the chaos of Beijing traffic... it seems certain to rival notorious Toronto. No question about it, the city that once boasted the most bicycles on its boulevards have now replaced those manual peddles for car engines, particularly Audis, it appears.
It was a beautiful and perfectly temperate fall day so we quite enjoyed climbing to the third tower of this stretch of the famous wall, despite the crowds. However, judgingfrom the relative emptiness of the parking lot and per our cab driver, the crowds today was nothing compared to weekends or special holidays.
Walking the length of the Great Wall, set between the valleys and mountainous terrains, one gets the sense that somehow, this imposing, evocative and enduring edifice truly defined China.
Tom and Ellen
